Keeping cows has many advantages. The average lifespan of cows allows for a long time to receive milk. Meat products are characterized by a high rate of slaughter weight gain. Thus, cows are considered profitable animals for breeding. Self-breeding allows you to combine the necessary traits from parents in offspring, getting more productive individuals.

Breeding and rules for caring for cows

In agriculture, cows are comfortable animals. The possibility of obtaining milk, meat and regular offspring allows for a constant flow of clean product.

Cows should be fed with high quality feed

Despite the apparent unpretentiousness, cows require care and maintenance of certain conditions. Each cow in the herd needs a separate stall that meets certain conditions. The constant background temperature should not exceed 18 °.

Note! If the temperature is not observed, lethargy and problems with milk yield can be observed.

When building a barn, materials that are resistant to dirt and are durable should be used. Stalls should be brightly lit in excess of 40 watts. In addition to the stall, a place for walking with a canopy from bad weather and the scorching sun should be equipped. When the temperature drops below -15 ° in winter, it is forbidden to let animals go for a walk.

Water tubs and salt stones should always be available in the area to replenish calcium deficiency.

When breeding cows, the health of both sexes should be carefully monitored. You can give the bull the opportunity to mate freely. In this case, it is impossible to control the process and make sure that all cows are covered.

In case of separate housing, it is possible to bring the heifer with an inseminating bull in a separate arena with a pen. The machine will relieve stress on the cow, making the mating process easier.

The most effective method of fertilization is artificial insemination in the laboratory with pre-collected and tested ejaculate. This method provides the highest guarantees for the success of the conception process.

Cows should be fed with high quality feed, stored in conditions that do not allow it to become moldy or damp.

Who is a pregnant cow

The term "pregnant cow" refers to cattle in pregnancy. A pregnant cow is an individual that is in the time interval from the moment of coverage until birth. Puberty in cows occurs by the second or third year of life. Gestation usually lasts 9 months, producing 1-2 calves. Interestingly, dairy cows become ready for insemination earlier than other species, already by 1.5 years.

The term "pregnant cow" means cattle in a state of pregnancy

Young cows are called heifers; individuals who are pregnant for the first time are called first-calf heifers. Cows that do not show signs of heat 3-6 weeks after insemination are called pregnant cows. In order to become pregnant, individuals must either walk around or artificially cover themselves.

Pregnant cows need to be prepared for calving. Depending on the quality of the preparation of the heifer or cow, the quality of the offspring and postpartum performance may vary.

Important! Improper feeding of pregnant cows is a common cause of the birth of weakened and unviable calves, low lactation after calving. Good quality and balanced feeding can determine the basis for the development of the embryo and the health of the pregnant individual.

Cow pregnancy index

A livestock farm becomes effective with an increase in productivity and livestock. In addition to taking into account the values ​​of milk yield, the mass of meat obtained, the indicator of the pregnancy index or insemination of cows is important.

To calculate the effectiveness of fertilization processes, you need to calculate the pregnancy index. It is necessary to calculate how many doses of sperm were spent on the number of individuals who became pregnant. The result obtained by dividing these indicators is called the cow insemination index.

For example, when 150 heifers were inseminated, 100 developed pregnancy. Thus, the calculation looks like: 150: 100 = 1.5. This means that one female accounts for 1.5% of insemination.

Cow pregnancy index

According to empirical data, the index can have the following values:

  • good - 1.6-1.8;
  • satisfactory - 1.9-2;
  • unsatisfactory - over 2.1.

To calculate the level of reproducibility, it is considered what the percentage of the birth of live calves per 100 individuals, according to the formula:

W = (T * 100) / K, where:

  • W - percentage of live calves (%),
  • T - born live calves,
  • K is the number of pregnant cows.

A herd with a good pregnancy rate and reproducibility above 85% is considered productive.

Cow coverage check

How do you know if a cow is covered? To determine pregnancy, there are several methods that allow you to independently confirm the pregnancy of a cow based on changes in behavior and appearance.

Cautious behavior, a quieter lifestyle, and a continued good appetite may indicate pregnancy. The absence of the hunting period in the behavior and the presence of vaginal discharge are among the more obvious signs of insemination observed in the first couple of months. There is a discharge of mucus from the uterus (can form crusts on the tail and ischial tubercles), visible to the naked eye.

A change in coat condition to a smooth and shiny texture may also indicate successful fertilization. Non-pregnant individuals are distinguished by a tough, sticking-out hair like thorns.

Under laboratory conditions, the hormone progesterone can be detected in milk.

In laboratory conditions, it is possible to detect a hormone in milk - progesterone, which is a marker of the ovulation process. This requires the collection to be carried out no earlier than 90 days after the last pregnancy. If not, the test may be false positive, identifying a previous pregnancy.

To accurately determine pregnancy and possible fetal pathologies, ultrasound can be performed.

Important! You cannot come for an ultrasound examination earlier than a month after insemination - this can lead to a miscarriage.

Rectal pregnancy testing of cows is popular. The technician palpates the uterus through the rectum. If you are careful, you can try to do the examination yourself. On examination, there should be a couple of people holding the cow by the horns and legs.

Important information! Before examination, the nails should be cut short, the existing wounds should be treated with iodine.

After thoroughly soaping your hand, it must be inserted into the rectum. During palpation, you need to find the cervix and focus on the location of it and the ovaries. In a non-pregnant individual, the uterus is located in the pelvic region, the horns are the same size with a groove in the middle. When palpating, a tangible reaction occurs in the form of a contraction of the uterus.

In a pregnant cow for more than a month, one uterine horn fluctuates and is larger. The ends of the horns begin to rise in the abdominal cavity.From the third month, there is a smoothing of the inter-horn groove, with a continuing increase in the size of the horn.

How can you determine the pregnancy of cows with folk remedies? Without resorting to the use of complex manipulations, it is possible to determine the pregnancy by cow's milk. When one drop of milk is lowered into a glass of water and dissolved, one can say about the pregnancy of a cow. When a drop spreads over the water surface, pregnancy is not observed in a cow.

An alternative method of "fortune telling" on milk is the use of alcohol. When mixed in a 1: 1 ratio of alcohol with milk in a pregnant cow, milk curdling is observed.

Using the methods listed above, you can determine the success of insemination of a cow at home.

Walking pregnant cows

It is necessary to shorten the walking time in the cold season

Can a cow walk during pregnancy? Stable keeping of pregnant cows leads to an increase in the risk of diseases, a decrease in productivity and the risk of developing pathological conditions of the fetus in the womb. To prevent such negative consequences, it is required to organize walking areas that protect from wind, bad weather and the scorching sun, where pregnant cows can walk freely. For one cow, the area of ​​the walking area should be at least 8 square meters. meters.

For cows 6-9 months of gestation, care must be taken when walking. It is necessary to reduce the walking time in the cold season. In icy conditions, it is better to protect animals from exercise, when they can fall, getting injured and the threat of miscarriages.

On a note. The general rules of walking involve the separate grazing of pregnant individuals from non-pregnant females, thus avoiding trauma and abortive processes.

Caring for a pregnant cow

Since the process of bearing offspring is characterized by a change in the work of the cardiovascular system, a shift in hormonal levels, it is necessary to carefully care for a pregnant cow.

During pregnancy, body weight gain occurs due to fetal development. An enlarging uterus with deposits of a reserve of organomineral substances allows the growing body of the calf to be nourished. With a lack of mineral components, demineralization of the mother's body occurs, having a negative effect on the development of the fetus.

During pregnancy, it is necessary to increase the norms of protein components in the animal feed, since protein is found in 70% of the fetal tissues. A sufficient amount of vitamins A and D guarantees the correct development of the fetus and the metabolic processes of the mother. With a deficiency of carotene, miscarriage, delayed afterbirth and the birth of a weakened offspring can occur.

The total amount of feed for cows depends on the build, the level of productivity of individuals. Heifers and dry cows should increase their body weight by 10-12%. Balanced feeding influences the quality of colostrum, which affects the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract of calves.

The forage should be based on leguminous hay, haylage and high quality silage. The presence of juicy feed in the diet also has a beneficial effect. In the summer, pregnant cows must be taken out to graze.

Feeding a balanced diet

Summing up, we can say that the efficiency of a herd of cows is determined not only by the amount of raw materials obtained in the form of milk or meat, but also by the ratio of the number of inseminated individuals to those that were missed.

For a productive process, insemination and caring for pregnant cows require adherence to certain rules. To obtain strong and healthy offspring, pregnant individuals need to equip a separate place for walking. Physical activity will help maintain muscle tone and an optimal level of blood circulation in the reproductive system.

Note! An important step is feeding a balanced feed. In conditions of micronutrient deficiency, calving can bring non-viable calves.

To determine the success of insemination, you can resort to the services of a specialist. Ultrasound diagnostics with accuracy will give an answer not only about the fact of pregnancy, but also will allow you to learn about the congenital abnormalities of the fetus.

In addition to laboratory tests, you can determine pregnancy yourself by following simple instructions or by conducting simple experiments with milk.

Compliance with the regulated norms of keeping pregnant cows will allow you to consistently receive healthy viable offspring.